OLG NEWS RELEASE

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Ontario’s newest multi-millionaires have some valuable advice for anyone purchasing a LOTTO MAX ticket or any lottery ticket – put it in a safe place and check it as soon as possible! Chad and Christa Breyer of Tavistock, who won the $50 million LOTTO MAX jackpot from the March 16, 2021 draw unknowingly drove around with the jackpot-winning ticket in their vehicle cupholder for about a week before checking it and changing their lives forever.
 
“I bought the LOTTO MAX ticket on Sunday for the Tuesday, March 16 draw and put it in the cupholder of my car as I usually do, and went about my business – going to work or running errands – never locking my car,” said Chad Breyer. “I even went out and bought a LOTTO 6/49 ticket for Saturday’s draw with the winning LOTTO MAX ticket still in my car!”
 
Christa bugged her husband to bring the ticket in the house so she could check it on the OLG Lottery App. She was trembling when the app displayed ‘$50,000,000’, and so was Chad when he saw it as well. The 41-year-old father of two sprinted out of his home to a nearby convenience store to have the ticket checked by the retailer. When the ticket was validated at the lottery terminal, the “Winner / Gagnant” sound went off and the ticket receipt printed out. “I was so excited I grabbed the ticket and the receipt and ran out of the store and went back home,” recounted Chad. “I didn’t know I had to stay to talk to the OLG representative who called the store a few moments later, but I eventually went back and spoke to OLG about the next steps in collecting this incredible prize.”
 
Christa, who is a 44-year-old shift supervisor in the food industry, says she and Chad are regular lottery players but they don’t play solely for a chance to win the big jackpot. She says she plays because the money ultimately benefits the people of Ontario. “I was told years ago that money from buying lottery tickets goes back to support hospitals, health care and OLG also gives back to communities – so why not buy a lottery ticket?”
 
The couple were excited to share the good news with family first. They took a screen shot of the ‘$50,000,000’ display from the OLG Lottery App and texted it to their parents and other close family members as they spoke to them on the phone about the great news. Chad was emotional sharing his father’s reaction, “He told me it couldn’t have happened to a better man. That I’ve worked hard all my life and now it’s paid off.”
 
Surprisingly, both Chad and Christa went to work the day after they discovered their win. Chad, who is in automotive repair and restoration, said they were both a distracted at work, but they knew they couldn’t let their co-workers down by not showing up for work. “I have a few projects that I need to finish first before I think of possibly retiring – I can’t leave my boss and colleagues without completing my obligations first.”
 
Although they are still working, it’s not stopping them from planning and dreaming about what to do with their incredible windfall. “We are going to purchase a new home with a big piece of property for our family and also buy a couple of new vehicles – a truck and an all-wheel drive SUV that performs well in our winters,” said Chad. The couple want to make sure a number of charities that are near and dear to them receive some of the winnings as well as family members. Christa can’t wait to travel when it’s safe to do so and he knows exactly where she wants to go, “I want to return to California. We went there for our honeymoon many years ago and have been saving airline loyalty points in the hopes of going back but now we can travel there in style!”
 
The winning ticket was purchased at the Canadian Tire Gas Bar on Ontario Street in Stratford.

Filed under: lottery, lotto max, olg, tavistock, winner